Engine SwapEverything about swapping an engine into your Third Gen.....be it V6, V8, LTX/LSX, crate engine, etc. Pictures, questions, answers, and work logs.
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Im thinking of puting a 383 turn key motor in to a 350 IROC, I have no idea what im doing when it comes to motors. Will it fit in or dose the engine comartmant need mods, also do I need a new trans and rear end, I only have about $4,000 to spent on a swap.Any input would be grate.
Thanks now I just got to figure out if I would need to change the trans and rear end, the car isnet for racing, just steet killing imports. Also how much dose a shop charge for a swap if I take the old one out or if I get stuck bad durring the swap.
I run a 383 TPI in my `88 Iroc with stock 700r4 and stock rear-end. No problems with reliability and no breakage issues, close to 40k miles on the 383.
since youve got 4000 grand to spend, and a 350 in your car now.....id just buy the stroker kit, take it to an engine building shop, have them bore it, new bearings....clearance for the stroker, let them worry with assembley, if you plan on keeping tpi, then you will have to have a chip burned and maybe some bigger injectors, i think......but i know a stock 350 ecm wont run a 383......id buy the stuff to put a vortec top end on it too
Thanks for replys,I dont have the car yet, im gona get a 350 w/5spd I just trying to figure out my options. I think if im gona take the engine out im not gona put the same one in, I much rather add a new turnkey,maby a 350 is a good idea, and whats a ecm im not good with abreviations. I have a 84 now but Its a show car, I need a daily driver.
why not just buy one with a 383 already in it?, call me crazy but id rather buy a car that sombody else put all the headache and money into making badass
and ecm is the computer, engine control module i think
yeah, if built right 350s can be some nasty engines.......they all say there is no replacement for displacement..B.S, tell me why a fox body with a 5.0 with a few bolt ons can run 12s and all the camaros run 13s and 14s? a shorter stroke isnt always a bad thing
ecm stands for electronic control module which is basicly the brains to the car. it controls how much fuel the engine is getting and basicly checks to see if all of your systems are running in sync and to the best optimization. if your going carb you realy dont have to worry about that because you tune your carb yourself but if your going electronic fuel injection you either have to get a chip burned for your cars computer to run the engine efficently and correctly or learn how to do it your self
err id go carbed.. i have seen it done and alot of people talk about it on here but 383 tpi is alot of work... go carb.. and i would go automatic but im different than alot of ppl.. but i run more constant times with my streetfighter than ppl with close or same set ups but t-5. put about 650-700 cfm carb on it make the linkage work and you will not have to worry about ecm problems
__________________ 87 formula 355 speed pro flat tops xe268h procomp 64cc heads hooker headers, true dual exhaust t.c.i. th350 alum. driveshaft 2200 B&M stall 3.73 lsd 750 demon carb holley contender manifold full msd ignition. steel 1.6 full rollers. 69 bug low 12's on motor 11.4 best with spray
err id go carbed.. i have seen it done and alot of people talk about it on here but 383 tpi is alot of work... go carb.. and i would go automatic but im different than alot of ppl.. but i run more constant times with my streetfighter than ppl with close or same set ups but t-5. put about 650-700 cfm carb on it make the linkage work and you will not have to worry about ecm problems
I am looking for a car with a 383 in it but living in CT thier is a small amount of these cars around. I would prob go with a carb, I wont it to be as panless as posible. Also what elles would I have to change in the car to drop a turnkey motor in...computer,gas lines,radiator, suspention? Thanks
i run a 13.20 (at about 4800 feet) with the firebird from my sig.. and its constant i never leave more than .100th of a second of that qualifying time.
well.. if you are going to swap in a turnkey 383 most likely it will be high peerformance built from some company like jegs/summit ect.? a well made 383 will give you some problem in the body.. if you run her hard she will start to break.. (t-tops poping off ,cracking windsheild, major chassis flex ect.) get a set of subframe connectors and maybe an ajustable torque arm (if you dont have the cash fro the arm dont do it but subframe connectors are a must if you are going drop run it hard with that much torque)
__________________ 87 formula 355 speed pro flat tops xe268h procomp 64cc heads hooker headers, true dual exhaust t.c.i. th350 alum. driveshaft 2200 B&M stall 3.73 lsd 750 demon carb holley contender manifold full msd ignition. steel 1.6 full rollers. 69 bug low 12's on motor 11.4 best with spray
Im starting to think a 350 is a better choice, I have seen turn key ones for about 3,000 with around 350HP thant would fit w/no probs and ther will not be as much torque so I would not need to mod the frame. Also all have more $ for other things.
well thats up to you.. subframe connectors are only like 200 bucks for a good set and will eliminate like 98% of chassis flex for a street driver you can put around 400 horse and equal tourque onto an fbody with sfc's.. and it all depends on your rear gears. if you have 2.73's or 3.08's you can put a 383 in there without twisting anything. getting into teh higher 3.73 and up you will start to see the problems i mentioned.. and im kinda confused. are you going for a turn key because you dont want to hassle with putting things together? .. you would be spending less money to make 320 horse out of a 1700 dollar 290 horse crate motor and then bolting on more power.. that direction will run about 2500 isntead of the 3 grand for a turnkey
I just found a 95 Z28 LS1, how dose it compare to the 383,I think they have 300HP? Also the reason I want turn key is becuse im gona have enuf truble swaping, im not gona try building it to.
Last edited by sweetorig84; 05-25-2008 at 06:40 PM.
Okay so if I put in a 383 I will need subframe connecters and it will be carbed, but what eles needs to be changed. It should bolt right up to the trans, Right,
Too much oversimplification going on here. A 383 can be made from any 350 block, and there are different 350 blocks out there. The big one is 2- or 1-piece rear main seal, and there are 383 kits available for each. The "basic" 383 will need external balance on the flywheel and harmonic damper. You can get an internally balanced 383 kit, but they tend to be more expensive in the 2-piece rear main seal kits.
Unless you're willing to baby it, a T5 behind a 383 is breakage waiting to happen.
My basic recommendation assumption is to plan on spending as much on the rest of the car to handle the power as you spend to make the power. If your budget is $4000, that means you have $2000 to spend on the engine and $2000 for the things you need to upgrade.
The LS1 is a great engine. It is no bolt-in, and will require a lot more work to get installed.
These cars need subframe connectors regardless of the engine in it.
the ls series engine didnt come out til 98, so id chec into that.........if you put a carbed 383 engine in it you will need: a fuel presure regulator, and hei distributor......posisbly a higher stall torq convertor, or a better clutch. make sure the engine you buy is a one piece rear seal to aviod any compatiblity issues down the road.........
i spent about 2100 on my 355 build but i had the block already and machine work was done for free at my college. 900 for my tranny 300 for gears 400 in suspention. and i am making 326 hp to the wheels. suspension upgrades are sfc's jegster half arm torque arm and thats it. its a ttop car i havnt lost one yet and the frame is still straight. its really is a wise investment for the suspension
you can do a lsx t56 swap for 4 grand, if you do the work yourself........im tellin ya though, a gen 1 swap is the easiest most cost effiencent way to make hp.......the only way id do a lsx swap is if i had a rolled or totaled newer z28
if your going to be droping in a carb from electronic fuel injection your going to have to get a fuel pressure regulator valve so you wont flood the carb. then your going to want to beef up the suspension a little bit if you have not done that before because these cars are pretty old, it would not hurt to get better springs, and shocks or struts. if you have not done any brake work to your car you should probably look into that so you can stop a beast like a 383. your going to want to get a beefed up tranny, and rear end so your torque dosnt break the old stuff. so basicly it does not hurt for you to beef up all of the cars systems likes brakes,suspension,tranny,cooling because these cars are getting pretty old and if they have not been maintained the could use a little love so your safe driving them. but you really dont have to do alot of electrical work just set the wires to the side if your not going to use them, or if you know a little electrical work you can get rid of some of the wires just dont tear them to shreds cuz it would be very difficult if you wanted to go back to electronic fuel injection.
I have a 1986 Trans Am with a 305 4bbl. and a TH700R4.
I want to swap out the engine with the Fast Burn 383 crate engine from GMPP (the remainder of the car will be 'adjusted' to manage the power).
My first concern is the clearance of the FB 383 crate engine under the hood. What do I need to change on that crate motor (if anything) to ensure it all fits under the hood??
Second concern, what other engine instalation nightmares might there be related to swapping in this engine??
Chaoz28 I was wondering if you could explain a little more about the flexing problem with higher gears. I have a 383 in my car which only makes 295hp and 400tq but I also had my transmission rebuilt and my rear end rebuilt with 3.73 gears and a limited slip diff. Should I be concered with the frame flexing? Also from my experiences if your putting a new engine with more power then your old one and your keeping your transmission and rear end stock more then likely something is going to have to give. Not saying the stock rear end isn't strong I just wouldn't trust it to handle more power with miles already on it.
the coil near plug still uses the opti for a reference on when to fire, so you would still have those problems maybe not as bad but they will still be there